Exactly ten minutes later, Chelsea arrived at the balcony facing the back of the mansion. "You're here" she heard the woman call without turning back to look at her. As expected, she saw Joyce sitting down on a reclining chair with a book in her hand as she looked over the estate behind the mansion. There was an extra chair beside her this time. Chelsea understood it was for her. "Yes, Ma" she replied and walked up to the chair, smiling as she gracefully sat down. "You said you needed to talk but didn't have anything to talk about right?" Joyce sought an affirmation. "Yes, Ma" Chelsea nodded as she replied. "Well, like I said earlier, I have something we can discuss about" Joyce smiled. Chelsea was all ears. She kept mute in expectancy of what Joyce had to discuss. The elderly woman turned to her with a knowing smile on her face. "Let's talk about Dylan" she said gently. Chelsea's pupils dilated. She wasn't expecting such a topic of discussion at all. She never expected i
Cross Enterprises Dylan walked into his company with a blank expression on his face. Immediately he entered, murmurs erupted and the staff tried their best to control the clients who struggled to approach him. He simply headed towards the stairs, not paying any attention to either staff or client who motioned for his attention. "Good Morning, Sir" "Excuse me, Mr. Cross" "Welcome, Sir" "Mr. Cross!" Several greetings and calls, both from staff and clients alike flew at him from all directions. But he paid no attention to any. He simply ignored all of them as he proceeded upwards on the stairs. Then he heard a familiar voice. "Please, dear clients, I implore you to be patient with Mr. Cross. He's just returning from a very important meeting and would like some time alone. Our staff are more than capable to tend to your various needs, requests and businesses" Selina announced from the upper floor unto the ground floor where the clients were seated and attended to. Her words had a
As Dylan scrolled through the chats, he saw several messages from different managers, executive personnel and business owners of different companies. These messages weren't business related at all. Most of them were invites to dates, some included alluring details while the rest were basically unofficial complimentary messages. He saw those of Fred Martin, even after he had threatened and warned him. He saw some from other men too. Now, these didn't shock him at all. What shocked him was her responses to each of the messages. The one she wrote to Fred read: "I'm sorry, but I can't accept your offer right now. I already have someone I'm deeply in love with and I wouldn't want to be unfaithful to my heart. Even though he hasn't confessed his love for me yet, I believe he loves me as well but is too scared to admit his feelings to me. But I'm sure he'll confess his feelings to me soon and I don't want to hurt him then. "And also, as a professional of both our respective fields and
"Well, she sent me a message via my Skype account" Selina finally replied with a nervous smile. Dylan noticed her hesitation before she made the statement. He knew Chelsea never sent any message to her via Skype. He knew they must have met each other somewhere. Selina probably ran into Chelsea during a visit to a hotel or Chelsea made the move to meet her there after finding out she would be there. But he appreciated the way she had changed Selina's thinking and attitude towards life. She had made her a better person both for herself and for the company. He smiled within himself but maintained a blank expression on the outside. "Skype, huh?" he pressed. "Uhm, yes, Sir" Selina answered rather hastily. "Alright. That's nice. Put in the request for the computer" Dylan simply said. "Yes, Sir" Selina nodded and extended the files in her hand to him. "The files you requested, Sir" she indicated as she walked towards him. "Oh, yes. Keep them on my desk. Also have their soft copi
The Cross Estate Chelsea gently caressed her body as she felt the water spitting out of the shower onto her body. She relished in the feel of her hands, gently running them along her outline as she rinsed her body. She had been giving thought to what Joyce had said and with her equally disturbing thoughts not giving her any breathing space, she decided to cool her whole body down by bathing. When she was done, she felt the calm and coolness in both her body and mind. She laid on her bed and gently closed her eyes. She breathed steadily, inhaling deeply at intervals. She felt she could think clearly now. At least, her mind wasn't troubling her as before. She turned her head to the side and her eyes fell on the tall safe in one corner of the room. The Halliburton briefcase with her two million dollars sat comfortably in there. She hadn't decided what to do with it yet. She didn't even know if she would be able to use it at all. All her needs were taken care of by Dylan. She had no
Chelsea couldn't believe her ears. It felt like her imagination had gotten the better of her. What did she think she heard? It was indeed quite funny for her to even fabricate such a thing in her imaginations. It sounded utterly inconceivable. "Are you there?" she heard him call again. This time she was sure it wasn't her imagination playing with her. She slowly lifted her head and looked at him. His face was still shrouded in the same indiscernible expression. Her lips moved of their own accord and before she knew it, she had replied in answer to his call. "Yes" was her simple response. "I asked if you are free to go out with me" he said, his eyes fixed on hers. His expression remained blank but his eyes held a hint of yearning in them. It was as though his words had no feelings attached to them but also at the same time seemed to have an effect on her. "Yes" she heard herself reply again. Her voice was soft and conceding. It was like he was pulling her to him but without phys
The elevator dinged and came to a stop at its destination. The doors slid open and the trio stepped out of it. Beatrice led the way while Chelsea and Dylan followed behind. Dylan still had his hands wrapped around Chelsea's waist. They walked elegantly, as perfectly as a couple could. Beatrice tried her best to keep her composure but both Dylan and Chelsea could see through it. They finally settled down in an exclusively private bar. The entire area was stylishly decorated and Chelsea could tell it was privately done so exclusively for Dylan. It had his taste in it. Predominantly dark with elements of gold here and there. She relished in the beauty of the place while Dylan made their orders. When the attendant left to get their orders, Dylan turned to her. She was forced to look at him. For some reason, the scenery brought back memories. Memories she had tried to forget. She subconsciously withdrew her eyes and put her face down. Dylan exhaled. "It's okay, Chelsea. You're alone wi
As she was still contemplating on what to do, Dylan spoke up. "You don't need to say anything, Chelsea. This is the second time I'm misjudging you and the second time in apologising as well. I'm just hoping it would be my last. I just need you to trust me. I already trust you and I don't care about the ill things you've done or felt or thought because of my actions" he paused. "You were right to do so. I now see what Joyce Ma has been trying to show me and I deeply appreciate it. I truly regret that I didn't see it earlier" he concluded calmly and reached for her hands. He took them in his and gently caressed them. "So, please, let's put the past behind us" he added with a peering look into her eyes. He had her locked in his gaze and she could look nowhere else. Oh, Dylan. You don't know what I've done, she thought. But still, the assurance and positivity in his eyes had a calming effect on her. She instantly felt the weight of her guilt dissipating gradually. She didn't need to d